Death Sentence To 8 Ex-Indian Navy Officers Casts Shadow On India-Qatar Ties

It is to be seen how India uses its clout in Gulf to impress upon Qatar to free 8 Indians. At least Qatar can give green signal to India for implementation of a relevant agreement signed in Oct 2015.

File photo of PM Narendra Modi with Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani in March 2015, in New Delhi, India. India and Qatar inked six agreements, including one on transfer of sentenced prisoners, that year.

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The death sentence awarded to eight former Indian Navy officers, after more than a year of detention, by a Qatar court has shocked India. An early resolution of this case would now prove to be a great diplomatic challenge for the mandarins in Raisina Hills. In the backdrop of the current geopolitical environment in the Middle East, the challenge would be felt even sharper as Qatar's ruling elite will not be able to focus attention on this issue. If the eight Indians are executed, it would not